title: Chronic hypoxemia selectively down-regulates 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 gene expression in the fetal sheep kidney.
abstract: The present study was designed to examine the effects of chronic fetal placental embolization on the expression of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) types 1 and 2, the intracellular enzymes responsible for the metabolism of glucocorticoids. Twelve instrumented fetal sheep were randomly allocated on Day 110 (term = 147 days) to either a control (n = 6) or embolized (n = 6) group. Embolized fetuses received daily injections of nonradioactive microspheres into the abdominal aorta for 21 days to decrease arterial oxygen content by 40-50% of the pre-embolization values. At the end of the experiment, fetal liver and kidney tissues as well as placental cotyledons were collected, and tissue levels of 11beta-HSD mRNA and activity were determined by standard Northern blot analysis and radiometric conversion assay, respectively. There was a 44% reduction (p < 0.01) in the level of renal 11beta-HSD2 mRNA in the embolized group as compared with the control group. Moreover, this reduction in mRNA was carried through to 11beta-HSD2 protein, since there was a corresponding decrease in the level of 11beta-HSD2 activity (4.5+/-0.2 vs. 2.9+/-0.1 pmol/min per milligram protein, p < 0.01). In contrast, levels of both 11beta-HSD1 mRNA and activity in the fetal liver remained unchanged. Moreover, both 11beta-HSD types 1 and 2 mRNA and activity in the placenta were not altered by the fetal placental embolization. In conclusion, chronic hypoxemia selectively inhibits renal 11beta-HSD2 mRNA expression and enzyme activity in the ovine fetus, which may contribute, at least in part, to the mechanisms leading to fetal hypertension.
authors.affiliation: The Lawson Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murotsuki
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gagnon
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D042842:11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006913:Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000201:enzymology*; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000196:embryology* / Q000201:enzymology*; D008099:Liver / Q000196:embryology / Q000201:enzymology; D010920:Placenta / Q000201:enzymology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D006913:Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; D042842:11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases